This week's Art Talk Monday is written by Linda Sivils, about this week's Ruston Community Theatre's presentation of Anybody Out There?RCT to present Anybody Out There?

Preparations are well underway for Ruston Community Theatre’s production of Anybody Out There?, with special arrangement from Dramatists Play Service. The play is sponsored by Northwood Medical Center, Dr. Ben Grigsby and will be held March 7-10 at the Dixie Center for the Performing Arts. Additionally, RCT productions are supported this season by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council and administered by the Shreveport Arts Council.

The play is written by John Patrick and will be directed by Billy Chandler. Billy is a seasoned member of the RCT Board having directed eleven previous plays including Bus Stop and Heaven Can Wait. Satish Bharadvaj will assist as Stage Manager and Don Mitchell will be responsible for lighting. Karen Pittman will oversee costumes.

As usual, the cast and crew are hard at work preparing for opening night. A number of actors will be returning to the RCT stage for this production. Among these are Jane Wallace, Dixie Mitchell, Casey Allen, Terry Stepp, Rex Yocum, Doug Postel, Rick Godley and Satish Bharadvaj. There are four actors new to the RCT stage.

The plot of this two act comedy revolves around a single character, Oliver Pankey, played by Doug Postel. Oliver seems to be a born loser and has several hilarious mishaps including relationship troubles, employment troubles, and a run-in with the FBI. The action spins zanily on, deftly finding its way to a happy—and hilarious—conclusion.

Other Cast Members are:

Jane Wallace: Millie Milhous

Dusty Hampton: Herbie Henderson

Troy Wold: Bill McSwain

Dixie Mitchell: Sophie Goggan

Casey Allen: Thief

Terry Stepp: Officer

Suzy Gardunio: Anita Wrenn

Rex Yocum: Doctor Dickey

Michael Tanahill: Stranger

John Lee: Mr. Poopuski

Donald Lazarus: Bank Customer # 1

Edwin Davis: Bank Customer # 2

Rick Godley: Radio Announcer

Satish Bharadvaj: Voice of Neighbor

Show times are 7pm on March 7-9 and 2pm on March 10. General admission for Seniors/Adults is $12 and Student admission is $6. Tickets can be purchased at the door on the day of the performance or earlier at the Dixie Center for the Performing Arts Box Office.

Ruston Community Theatre seeks to involve the local community in all aspects of theatre production and to provide opportunities to interact on a voluntary basis. We are looking for individuals who want to explore acting, stage design and production, costumes, directing and lighting and sound. Auditions for upcoming plays are announced in the Ruston Daily Leader. Additional information can be found on the website: www.rctruston.org facebook: www.facebook.com/RustonCommunityTheatre